“You look gorgeous,” Poppy said, who was wearing a slim, ice-blue cocktail dress that fell to mid-calf and showed off her lean figure.
“Thank you,” Ivy said, hugging her niece.
“I’m afraid Poppy beat me to it,” Bennett said. “But I couldn’t help it. You took my breath away.”
Ivy suppressed a smile, though she enjoyed hearing that. “You look nice, too,” she allowed.
Actually, Bennett looked more than nice, though she didn’t want to blow up his ego until he’d properly apologized. He wore perfectly-cut dark slacks and a white shirt with a fine, herringbone-patterned sport coat that fit perfectly. A burgundy silk pocket square was tucked into his breast pocket. She liked this unexpected, sophisticated look for the beach-town mayor.
Everyone they’d invited to the tree-trimming began to arrive. Their parents, as well as Flint and Forrest, and their families. Imani and Jamir were there, along with Gilda, who was clutching Pixie. The Chihuahua wore a jaunty red bow on his collar. Mitch stood by the tree talking to Nick, who had thrown a denim jacket over his blue jeans but still wore sandals, even though the temperature was dipping near-freezing tonight.
It’s the beach, Ivy reminded herself.
Violin music was coming from the ballroom. Bennett held out his arm. “May I? Celia is here with one of her proteges.”
Poppy’s eyes lit at the gesture. With a small sigh, Ivy slipped her hand lightly into the crook of Bennett’s arm, but not close enough to give him any ideas.
Through the crowd, Elena waved. Ivy wondered who her niece’s client was.
“Excuse me, I’d like to speak to Elena,” Ivy said to Bennett.
Bennett patted her hand. “I’ll check in with Mitch and Nick.”
Ivy watched him walk toward the other two men. Bennett had made an effort to get along with Nick last night. But was he only doing that to appease her? She turned toward Elena, who looked chic in a black sweater and long skirt. Her short dark hair framed bright blue eyes, and a discreet blue diamond nose stud sparkled with brilliant fire.
“Aunt Ivy,” Elena said, greeting her with a hug.
“It’s so wonderful to see you again, sweetheart,” Ivy said. “I spoke with Honey earlier today, and she said that she and Gabe just bought their airline tickets. I’m so thrilled they’re coming for the holidays.” Ivy missed her eldest sister, who had been such a large influence on her life.
Elena smiled. “Usually, I fly to Sydney, but my business has been on fire, so Mom and Dad decided to come here. They also wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa before they sail away.”
“I’m so glad you could make it tonight,” Ivy said. “Poppy said you have an important client in Summer Beach. We’re dying to know who it is.”
“I would have thought you’d guessed. Her daughter got married here.”
Ivy lowered her voice. “Carol Reston? Well done, you. I hope she’s a good client for you.” The world-class, Grammy-award winning singer had also performed at the Seabreeze Inn—once for her daughter’s wedding and again at the art festival.
“She’s very generous with her friends,” Elena said. “I made several custom pieces for her.” Elena gazed around the room. “The antique decorations you and Aunt Shelly discovered are gorgeous.”
“With your appreciation for design, I thought you’d find them interesting. Maybe something here will inspire you.”
Elena’s gaze traveled up to the top of the bookshelf. “That red enameled piece is unusual.”
Ivy followed Elena’s gaze. “We found that in a crate along with the other ornaments. Nick placed it there, and I rather like it.”
Elena stared at it a moment longer. “This house has had some amazing gifts, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed it has,” Ivy said, lifting her gaze to the walls that sheltered them. “We’ve probably seen the end of Amelia’s hidden treasures. I don’t think there’s any place on the property we haven’t explored.”
But that’s what Ivy had thought before they’d discovered the narrow storage room disguised as a faux back wall of the garage. Ivy wondered if the entrance had been hidden during the Second World War or when Amelia closed the house a decade or so later. By the time the property manager or a worker had bolted the cabinet to the rear wall, the storeroom had probably been hidden for decades, its concealment long forgotten.
Elena turned, her attention drawn to the tabletop village that Carlotta and Sterling had arranged. “That’s a lovely scene, too.”
Ivy and Elena spoke a little longer, and then Mitch uncovered the appetizers he had brought, and everyone lined up in the dining room for the buffet. It was nothing fancy—turkey sliders, grilled potato wedges, and salad. Earlier that afternoon, Ivy and Shelly had also prepared two large pots of hearty vegetable stew with carrots, onions, potatoes, and peas—one vegetarian and one with chunks of beef. They still had pies from Thanksgiving for dessert.
Poppy and her cousins brought everything out from the kitchen. Tonight, instead of china from Amelia’s collection in the butler’s pantry, they used paper plates for easy clean-up. After everyone ate, they would trim the tree with the old ornaments. Bennett had borrowed a couple of tall ladders for the job.
Ivy’s heart filled with gladness as she watched their family and guests move through the line. Snippets of conversation rose around the room. Misty asked Elena how she liked living in Los Angeles. Sunny was talking to Coral about how much she’d enjoyed her study in psychology, which Coral had majored in and was now practicing.
Mitch was still in deep conversation with Nick, telling him about his business. Mitch might have had a tough start in life, but he’d turned into a bona fide entrepreneur between Java Beach, which was open for breakfast and lunch, and his afternoon charter excursions for dolphin and whale watching. He was catering parties now, and Ivy wouldn’t be surprised if he was working on another idea. Shelly stood beside him, just as focused on the conversation.
Nick asked a lot of questions, almost like a seasoned reporter, Ivy mused.
Bennett was beside her in line, though he was talking with Jamir about school. Ivy took the chance to catch up with her parents. After everyone scooped a plateful, the party filtered back into the ballroom.
Ivy and Shelly stood. “We want to thank you all for coming tonight,” Shelly began. “This is the first time Ivy and I have had a chance to spend the holidays with our family in a very long time. Here’s to our family,” Shelly said, raising a glass of wine.
“And to our new friends,” Ivy added. “Now, we’d like for our parents to hang the first ornaments.”
Everyone cheered as Carlotta and Sterling rose and selected ornaments. Carlotta chose a silvery hand-painted bell, while Sterling chose a red sleigh. They stood next to the tree with the ornaments, and everyone took photos. With her parents looking so happy and animated, Ivy thought about what a lovely painting that would make.
Shelly turned up the music, and all the cousins and friends pitched in to help trim the tree. Ivy noticed that Nick hung back until Poppy handed him an ornament.
“With a family like this, you have to jump right in,” Poppy said. “You must not come from a large family.”